"a wonderful voice"
   – MARVIN HAMLISCH
   

Hope Concert High Point for Pops Season

By Ed Wismer, Ocean City Sentinel Critic
August 14, 2008

OCEAN CITY – The French have a marvelous expression that describes last week’s mid-week Ocean City Pops concerts. The French seemingly have a word for everything, and they would call last Tuesday and Wednesday’s shows “un affair du coeur,” or an affair of the heart. That describes what went on between singer and all-around entertainer Michael Hope and his audience.

The tall and slender singer, with his wide ranging voice, committed grand larceny, stealing the hearts in the well-filled Music Pier. It has long been my observation that truly gifted performers are also warm and approachable human beings. Some others seem to feel that arrogance can make up for a basic lack of talent. Michael Hope is a member in good standing of the former group. Prior to the show, he circulated throughout the Music Pier, greeting friends he made during his first concert here last year, and making new friends as well. He returned to the crowd during intermission and after the concert as well, and it was much appreciated.

Hope has a phenomenal memory and exceptionally good diction. He sang over 25 songs without music or cheat-sheets, coordinated his performance with the Ocean City Pops seamlessly, and credited Maestro Scheible and pianist Jeffrey Uhlig with making it so. Each song became a musical jewel set in a sparkling arrangement previously unheard here and I suspect Hope brought them here from his home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Many folks only know Calgary as the home of the Calgary Stampede, their humongous annual rodeo. It’s actually the most civilized place in the far west of Canada. Hope is living proof of Calgary’s level of sophistication.

The Pops got things off to a merry start with Julius Fucik’s “Entrance of the Gladiators” as its overture. Everyone knows this piece as a circus march but when Hope came out singing “What a Wonderful World” the magic really began.

What followed was what Hope called his “Weather Channel Medley,” which included “Pennies from Heaven” and “Singin’ in the Rain.” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught” and Sondheim’s “Children Will Listen” promoted sensitivity, tolerance and the many varieties of love.

“Swinging on a Star” and “Wheels of a Dream” from Ragtime helped prove that Hope has got rhythm and can dance too. His medley from “The Man of La Mancha” was given a nifty lead-in, with the orchestra playing “Fandango” to establish the Spanish atmosphere.

An Entr’acte called “Back Talk,” by Mark O’Kain on xylophone and Uhlig on piano, brought the house down to initiate the second half of the concert. Hope showed his versatility, singing “Love Changes Everything” and then switching into a scorchy “Fever,” the song made a hit by Peggy Lee. Even more variety came with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “It Might as Well Be Spring” from State Fair, and “Nella Fantasia,” sung in more than acceptable Italian. Hope’s diction was good in that language too.

Apparently Canadians are fond of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and Hope sang it nicely and listed it in the program as a tribute to Julia Ward. Hope’s encore was “Danny Boy,” sung acapella. The concert was yet another high point for the 2008 Ocean City Pops season, and many in the departing audience were heard saying their hope is that Hope returns next year.

                                         Michael